HISTORY OF PASCO COUNTY

The New Port Richey Public Library

Some of the following information is taken from the web site of the New Port Richey Public
Library. This page was last revised on March 28, 2018.

In April 1919 the Port Richey Press reported Elroy M. Avery
has purchased property here and would present to the people of New and
Old Port Richey his collection of books as the nucleus of a public
library.

On Dec. 22, 1919, the Avery Library and Historical Society applied
for incorporation.

On Dec. 25, 1919, the Port Richey Press reported, “The
charter for the new Avery Library has been applied for, and as soon as it
is received, a meeting will be held to decide on the general plans for
conducting it. Dr. Elroy M. Avery, the noted historian and author,
who has his home at New Port Richey, has donated a large number
of volumes to the library. Other donations are being received regularly.
The new library will have temporary quarters on Main St.”

On Feb. 16, 1920, the Port Richey Press reported, “New Port
Richey’s Public Library, known as the Avery Library, will be ready for
its formal opening in a few weeks. It will start out with almost
1,000 volumes, representing the contributions of Mr. Avery and many
other local people. Commodious quarters have been secured in the
Snell Block on Main Street. The shelving has been put in place and the
books are now being catalogued.”

On April 8, 1920, the Port Richey Press reported:

The Avery Library will be open to the public for the first
time on Saturday, when Mrs. Conover, the librarian, will be in
attendance between the hours of 10:30 and 12 a.m. and 2:30 and 5 p.m. to
receive fees and distribute books to borrowers. Although the books,
which number over 2000 on every conceivable subject, are by no means
fully classified and catalogued, records of withdrawals will be made in
order to give the people early advantages of the institution. The
payment of a dollar entitles a person to access to the valuable
reference volumes and to draw books for home reading.

On April 10, 1920, the Avery Library opened to the public in the
Snell Building, with more than 2,000 volumes.

On March 2-4, 1922, the first Chasco Fiesta was held to raise money to
support the library. A total of $364.31 was raised.

On Feb. 8, 1924, the New Port Richey Press reported that
“for increased protection from fire, the library was recently
moved to a safer building.” That refers to the Sims Building. It
reported that expenses have been cut to the bone and the
librarian’s pay has been cut off and no one draws a cent in pay
except the janitress.

On Oct. 2, 1925, the New Port Richey Press reported that the
library would move to the new Morey-Bowman Building. It reported the
library is now open from 3 to 5 on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.
The trustees hope to have it open from 1 to 5 every afternoon except
Sundays.

On Dec. 6, 1927, city voters approved by one vote the issuance of
$15,000 in municipal bonds to build a new library on the Circle. City
council decides a second vote should take place, and on June 19, 1928,
the bond issue was rejected, 114-73.

In July 1928 the library moved to the northeast section of Arcade Building, with three
rooms. 7500 books.

On Sept. 11, 1931, the New Port Richey Press carried an appeal
from Dr. Avery for contributions to the library, which had closed. (The
library reopened Tuesdays and Fridays, but the librarian was not paid.)

In 1938 the library moved to the new municipal building on Main
Street, which was built partly a WPA project.

On June 27, 1963, the New Port Richey Press published letters
to the editor from Ralph Bellwood and Rev. John W. Parkes criticizing
the decision by the New Port Richey City Council to change the name of
the library from the Avery Library to the New Port Richey Library.

In November 1963 the new building at Main and Jefferson St. was
completed. County support for the library began at this time.

On March 1, 1977, the New Port Richey City Council unanimously
rejected a plan to give the New Port Richey Public Library to the
county. The county plan was first advocated by County Administrator
Richard Kelton and would have required the city to give up all its
rights to the library in return for a $1-per-year leasing fee for 30
years.

During the tenure of Donna Riegel as director the Library Board of
Trustees turned over governance of the Library to the City of New Port
Richey.

The New Port Richey City Council authorized a renovation and expansion
program in 1987 for the present City Hall and Library. Gee and Jensen
Engineers-Architects-Planners, Inc. of West Palm Beach, Florida was
selected to design and construct the new complex. The plans called for
a 19,000 square foot addition to the City Hall and the Library and the
combining of the two into a linked complex with a tower-like structure.
The project included a new 24,000 square foot City Hall and a 15,230
square foot Library. The buildings were designed to accommodate city
population growth up to 25,000 residents.

During this period, the City and County discussed the merging of
the City Library into a countywide system. The City Library would
provide free library service to county residents. Residents voiced
their concerns over the merger and the City Council decided to maintain
the City Library and not join the County system. The County passed a
bond referendum to fund the construction of a countywide library
system. This bond was assessed on the City residents as well and
taxation became a point of contention between the City and the County.
The City Council has continued to request that tax dollars paid by its
residents be returned to the City. Nothing has been resolved as this
was written.

The building that housed the old Library was to become the new City
Hall. The new Library was to be built on the site of the former City
Hall. This site was originally an old school building built in 1926.
The plans called for the total gutting of the interior of the building
with only the three red brick walls left standing. The walls were
preserved in order to retain the English Renaissance styling. The City
Council authorized the application for a Library Services and
Construction Act (LSCA) Grant of $400,000 from the Florida Department of
State's Division of Library and Information Services.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held August 30, 1988, with these
participants: City Manager, Charles McCool; Mayor Robert Prior; Council
Members, Peter Altman, Fran Oreto, and O. J. Brisky; and former Council
Members, Jean Rose and Bill Tatum. Bentley Construction of Oldsmar was
selected for the Phase One construction of the City Hall. The bid was
$2.3 million.

The Library was moved to temporary quarters in the Rockville Center
Building at 6351 Massachusetts Avenue on February 6, 1989, and remained
there until March 1991. These quarters consisted of six units totaling
6,000 square feet. The cost was $2,200 per month. The staff helped to
move the approximate 35,000 books.

Jane Schwamberger, Library Director, and Tom Huggett of Gee and
Jensen Engineers worked on the design and the grant application during
this period. The grant was awarded for the amount of $400,000 with a
City match of at least $600,000. Jane Schwamberger, Library Director
resigned in 1990 during the construction phase.

The official grand opening of the new City Hall took place in July
1990. Residents and guests were officially welcomed by Mayor Peter
Altman, Council Members Debra Prewitt and Dell deChant, and City Manager
Gerald Seeber. Guests were invited to a tree planting ceremony at the
building. Members of the West Pasco Sertoma Club and the American
Legion Paradise Post No. 79 also attended. The City was presented with
a flag, which was raised during the ceremony while the audience sang the
national anthem.

Susan Dillinger was hired as the new Library Director in October
1990 and continued the building project. Construction on the new
library was finished in February 1991. The Library staff assisted
professional movers in relocating the Library to its new quarters in
March 1991. The Friends of the Library also assisted in the move and
provided the new Library with several items. The new library was opened
to the public in April 1991.

The formal dedication ceremony was held in May 1991, with Mayor
Peter Altman, City Manager Gerald Seeber, Council Members Dell deChant,
William Partridge, Debra Prewitt, and Nelson Vogel; Library Director
Susan Dillinger and guests were in attendance. The Singing Strings
provided a classical music setting.

The new Library will retain the name "The New Port Richey Public
Library." The Library houses the Avery Conference Room in memory of Dr.
Elroy Avery, the founder of the library.

The new Library contains over 40,000 volumes of books, audiotapes,
videotapes, and compact discs and features adult, young adult,
children's, Florida, genealogy, and business materials. The library is
part of the Tampa Bay Library Consortium and the SUNLINE Database, which
is a group of libraries which share automation services and materials.

The New Port Richey Public Library received LSCA Grant funding in
October 1991, for the establishment of an adult literacy program. This
program, in conjunction with the Pasco County Schools' Reading
Assistance Program (RAP), instructs adults, through the use of
computers, how to read and write.

The Library also received a LSCA Collection Development Grant for
$25,000 for the purchase of resource materials to support local
businesses.

The New Port Richey Public Library had registered over half its
residents for library services by 1993 and participated in various city
events, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Day in Sims Park, and Market Week
in conjunction with the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce. Monthly programs
have been held in the new Library funded by the New Port Richey Cultural
Affairs Committee. These programs have been a great success.

The award of another LSCA Grant for the Literacy program came in 1994
in the amount of $35,000. The New Port Richey Public Library continues
to grow and strives to provide its residents with quality programs and
services.

In the 1990s the library remodeled the second floor and expanded the
meeting room seating capacity from 50 to 200, as well as equipping the
room with computer network and Internet connections.

In 1996 the library moved from the GEAC automation system and a
Novell network to DYNIX and a Windows NT network.

The January 2005 library newsletter reported that during 2004 a new
computer network was installed, a young adult room and a foreign
language room were created, a new computer reservation system and
self-checkout system were installed, a new circulation/information desk
was installed, the downstairs of the library was rearranged to provide
more computer room, a wireless computer system was installed in the
meeting rooms, and a new Events and Community Outreach Department was
created to plan and coordinate library programming to the community.

In April 2006 at the 83rd Annual Conference and Exhibition of the
Florida Library Association, the New Port Richey Public Library was
named Library of the Year.

Article from West Pasco’s Heritage (1974)

By JANET LEWIS

During the month of June 1919, Dr. Elroy McKendree Avery arrived in the
town of New Port Richey, bringing with him part of his collection of
many hundreds of volumes, which he intended presenting to the town as a
nucleus of a public library. Charles L. Fox of the New Port Richey Press had already
augmented a drive for books designed to begin a library, but the
townspeople had been responding very slowly, many promises had been
made, but few books had been received until the arrival of Dr. Avery.
His presence and active participation sparked a group of citizens,
including H. D. Case, Richard F. Conover, Charles F. Hoffman, Julia A.
Leach, Charles L. Fox, Fred Sass and George R. Sims to form a
corporation, the character and object of which was to establish, own and
maintain a library in the town of New Port Richey, Pasco County,
Florida. To this end, the work of drawing up a charter and papers of
incorporation resulted that on December 22nd, 1919, there came into
being the Avery Library and Historical Society, now known as the New
Port Richey Public Library. [JM note: It appears that Dec. 22 was the date of the
application for incorporation.]

Under the articles of incorporation, Dr. Avery was elected President,
Charles F. Hoffman, Vice-President, Charles L. Fox, Secretary, and Fred
Sass, Treasurer. The Board of Trustees was made up of all the original
members already mentioned. In this first charter, it is interesting to
note what some of the Articles contained. For instance, Article 9 states
that "The highest amount of indebtedness or liability to which this
corporation may at any time subject itself, shall be Ten Thousand
Dollars"! Another article gave each member of the Board the privilege of
holding office for LIFE, unless his or her tenure of office was
terminated "by removal for cause or by resignation"! Lastly Article 10
permitted the corporation to hold real estate, only up to Fifty Thousand
Dollars in value.

The Dade City Banner for
February 11, 1920, carried an article entitled, NEW PORT RICHEY LIBRARY
ABOUT READY TO OPEN. It spoke of the "commodious quarters" that had been
secured in the Snell Block on Main Street. Shelving had been put in
place and the books were being catalogued. At about the same time, in
fact on February 18, 1920, the Board of Trustees approved and published
the following list of Rules and Regulations of the Avery Library and
Historical Society. Today, after fifty-four years of service to the
public, some of these rules still relate to library procedure in force
at the present time.

Reference privileges of the library are free to
all.

Use of the library as a Reading Room, in the
hours that it is open, is free to all.

Books removed from the shelves for reference
or other purposes shall be left by the user upon the table and not
replaced by him on the shelves.

Individual membership cards, entitling the holder thereof to
draw books from the library,
may be obtained by approved persons on the
payment of ONE DOLLAR per year. Apply to
the librarian.

It is not expected that the receipts from the sale
of membership cards will meet the necessary
current expenses of the library; still less will
they provide for the growth of the institution.
The Trustees have therefore authorized the
issue of FOUNDER’S MEMBERSHIP CERTIFICATES
to persons who make contributions to the funds
of the Society. The library needs money; it
will always need money. Consult the Librarian.

The gift of good books and periodicals is solicited. In many
cases, such publications will
have a greater degree of usefulness in the
library than in private homes.

Books of rare value may be used by members
only and in the presence of the Librarian.

Writing or marking in or on books or the mutilation thereof is
strictly forbidden.

Any person guilty of loud or unnecessary talking
or of unseemly behavior or appearance may
be excluded from the library rooms.

The Library rooms shall be open from 3 to 5 o'clock on the afternoons of Wednesdays and
Saturdays.

A Reading Room will be open evenings as soon
as funds are available for the purpose.

On April 10th, 1920, the Avery Library and Historical Society was
formally opened, with dedication ceremonies with a collection of
slightly over 1,000 volumes from Dr. Avery’s personal library and
gifts from civic bodies and private individuals. Dr. Avery supplied the
book cases in which to house the books and under the direction of the
library committee and Mrs. R. F. Conover the first librarian,
classifying and cataloging of books was accomplished.

The idea of FOUNDER’S MEMBERSHIP CERTIFICATES was an effort to
assure the library of a future and was a fund separate from and
additional to regular membership. It was made up of Contributing
membership, $10.00 annually; Sustaining membership, $25.00 annually;
Life membership, $100.00 annually. There was also Patrons membership on
payment of $500.00 or more as the patron wished to make. Cash
contributions were also made to insure its future, such as the
presentation on March 29th of the "MYSTERY MINSTRELS" aided at the Ball
which followed, by Collins Jazz Band of Tampa. A newspaper account of
this affair which, by the way, was a "brilliant success", likened Main
Street to 42nd and Broadway on a busy Saturday night!!! The same article
went on to say that automobiles were "parked on the landscape as thick
as flies." Many came from Tampa, Tarpon Springs, Elfers, Odessa and
Clearwater to the show and at the dance which followed, there were as
many as three hundred on the floor of the Ballroom in the Snell
Building. This show, sponsored by the New Port Richey Ladies brought a
net profit of $268.20 and provision was made to buy the first one
hundred books for the Children’s Room.

From the first day on which the library opened
its doors to the public, the citizens of New Port
Richey showed how necessary a library is to a community. Thirty-seven
members joined within the
first few days and in the weeks that followed, many
more books were received by donation. A fund was
also established for the purchase of the best new
books as they were published. In fact, before very
long the book area was showing signs of congestion
and more shelving was needed. The cataloging was
progressing rapidly and the town of New Port Richey
had a modern library. By May 6th, the new Avery
Library contained over 2,000 volumes and was proving itself an asset
to the community.

During that first summer, Mrs. Clyde F. Burns
conducted story hours for the children and the New
Port Richey Press for July 22nd, 1920, spoke of the
young children spending the afternoons in the COOL
library, and as late as August not one hot afternoon
had been experienced in the library. All were invited
to take advantage of the reading room where there
was always a cool breeze!!! In the year which followed the opening of
the library, much needed financial
assistance was provided by the Ladies of New Port
Richey, who inaugurated entertainments of all kinds,
dances, benefits and card parties, the proceeds of
which purchased new books, paid bills and sustained
the library in every way.

With the formation of a group of ten women, who
called themselves the Library Associates, the work
of the library was carried on. These women were all
volunteer workers and helped the librarian, Mrs.
Conover, in every possible way, from shelving and
cataloging to cleaning and dusting. It was their joint
efforts which instigated the First Chasco Fiesta, the
proceeds being turned over to the library fund. As
early as December, 1921, at a meeting of the trustees,
it was decided to erect a fine fireproof building in a central area,
probably near or adjoining the
First State Bank as a permanent home for the Avery
Library and Historical Society. This step was, it
seemed, rendered necessary for the protection of its
large and valuable collection of books against fire and
also the need for more space in which to house them.
The idea was to be more fully discussed at a later
date and it would appear that such a need was imminent as the library
was then being kept open daily
during the winter season.

In 1921 and 1922, there was much publicity on a
forthcoming City Directory which was being compiled
by Dr. Avery and which was to be published under the
auspices of the Avery Library and printed by the New
Port Richey Press. A great deal of work must have
been accomplished on this project although it does
not seem to have reached completion and no records
are available on the publication itself. In May, 1922,
a delegation from New Port Richey attended the third
Florida Library Association Convention being held in
Tampa and Dr. Avery was made Vice President of the
Association at that time.

Throughout these early years of the library’s
growth it is evident that the guiding hand of Dr. Avery
was behind the many endeavors made to support the
library financially. Through the New Port Richey
Press which was solidly behind the library and gave
it much publicity, we learn of the many concerted
efforts made to support this institution. In 1923, Dr.
Avery launched a budget drive for the coming year,
calling for at least $800.00 over and above the $150.00
in membership fees which shows that one hundred and
fifty citizens had become library members. In a
brochure published at that time and entitled "Our
Library, Do we appreciate it enough to support it?",
Dr. Avery made the following statement. "Tarpon
Springs is two or three times as large as New Port
Richey, but its library is much smaller than ours.
The Tampa Library has one book for every three inhabitants; our library
has four books for every one of our population."

He went on to point out, however, that the library
needed the support of its members. "In 1923, the
expenses of our library exceeded its income from all
sources. It was possible only because of the surplus
provided by the labors of the Library Associates.
The pay of the librarian has been cut off and the cost
of Saturday evening service has been eliminated. No
one draws a cent as an employee except the janitress
.... To this end every lover of books (man’s most
faithful friends) should help as he or she is able.
Make a pledge (subscription) for the Library’s Maintenance Fund for
1924, and send it to the treasurer
of the Avery Library, New Port Richey at once. By
so doing, you will save the trustees the expense of
sending a solicitor to you and save yourself from the
annoyance of any further appeal for the rest of the
current year...." The money was obtained and the
library survived for another year.

The year 1924 was to see many changes in New
Port Richey. The town was to become an incorporated city and the
library trustees in October 1925
offered to give the library with all of its collections,
funds, and equipment to the City of New Port Richey.
On the 20th of October, and as authorized by the
city charter, the City Council adopted its Ordinance
No. 29, accepting the offer, establishing the Avery
Public Library and providing for its government and
maintenance. The ordinance was approved by Mayor
Avery three days later and became operative on the
2nd of November, 1925. The first Library Board
consisted of Mrs. Ella W. Avery, Mrs. Alma H.
Kilborn, Mrs. Kate H. Dane, The Rev. O. H. Denney
and L. G. Marston. As soon as Mayor Avery made
the Board (which he did, by resigning his office as
Mayor, in December), his wife resigned as a member of the Board and he
was elected to the vacancy
thus created. At the time of its adoption by the city,
the Library accession book listed 4,854 volumes.
The increase in the number of volumes was due partly to purchase, but
more largely to gifts by members
and library friends. The largest gift received was
from the Cleveland Public Library and from time to
time a book will turn up in 1974, with a Cleveland
Public Library stamp on the title page.

In the first Annual Report to the City in June
1925, Dr. Avery cited the cost of a library having to
pay rent for the use of the building which housed it.
He said. "We shall have to spend two-thirds (64 per
cent) of our half mill tax for rent. In short, rent is
the monster that is gnawing at the vitals of the library. The other
public libraries having no rent to
pay can distribute or budget one hundred per cent of
their income, while we having rent to pay, can budget (next year) only
thirty-six per cent of our income
for the same items. In other words, these public libraries that occupy
their own buildings have nearly
three times as much available income as we have,
for maintenance and growth. We need a library building worthy of the
city, worthy of the beautiful site already provided for it, and we need
it quickly. I would that these facts might sink deep into the consciousness of the
members of our city administration
and energize them to the prompt action needed....

Louis I. Holway became librarian of the Avery
Library on appointment by the Board at a meeting on
December 2, 1925. He and Mrs. Holway had visited
the library and Mrs. Holway had remarked to Mrs.
Avery "My husband is at home in a place like this!"
Dr. Holway, a minister from a township in Vermont,
had come to New Port Richey as appointee to the
little church on the circle. He had also carried on
library work in the township where he had his ministry had brought
library privileges into the schools
in his district, and had instituted two new adult branches. With the
consent of his church, he accepted
the position of librarian which he held until his death.
Writing about his life as librarian, Dr. Holway told
of the three moves which the library had made under
his administration. First, to the building known as
The Peninsular Building; next, to one of the three
room sections of the Post Office Building; and lastly,
to its location in the Municipal Building at 113 Main
Street. In each instance of change the quarters eventually proved too
small or too unsuited to the library’s
needs. In 1927, Dr. Avery was writing, "What we
need is a building of our own." In August 1927, in an
impressive speech before the City Council, Dr. Avery
spoke of the possibility of a permanent library building. Members of
the Council took the matter under
advisement with the intention of securing definite
action as soon as possible. It was conceded that a new
building, on the site already provided for this structure, would be the
answer for all time, to the library
moving proposition, and at the same time provide the
city with a building in keeping with its growth and
general beautiful appearance. From a library of
4,853 books when the city took over the original
Avery Library and Historical Society’s interests and
opened it afresh November 1, 1925, as the Avery
Public Library, it has grown to be a library of over
16,700 accessions. Your librarian has added in those
years, nearly 2,500 new names to its patrol roll. Its
circulation for its recent year of service was a few
hundred short of 12,000. Its opportunities for research, especially in
the Department of United States
history, gives it a prestige among the many libraries
of Florida...." When Dr. Holway died in March,
1948, after an attack of flu, his dream to see the library, to which he
had dedicated twenty-three years,
in its own building, had not yet been achieved.

Dr. Louis I. Holway, Feb. 8, 1939

From the time of his arrival in New Port Richey,
Dr. Avery demonstrated a complete and total dedication to the founding
and growth of the public library.
He designed plans for a library building and proposed
to the City Council that if certain provisions were met,
his entire estate would revert to the Avery Public
Library. The attempt to issue municipal bonds to the
extent of $15,000.00 was voted upon by the people on
December 6, 1927. The issue carried, but on account
of the small majority, the City Council saw fit, upon
the request of certain taxpayers, to call for another
vote. On June 15, 1928, the New Port Richey Press
carried a full page advertisement requesting the voter to vote "Yes"
for the library building. The advertisement read in part:

New Port Richey has today one of the largest and best
libraries in the State. A library building was promised when the library
was first donated for public use. The expenditure of $15,000.00 now for
a building and equipment will not increase your taxes. The library is
but one of the many advantages open to those who live in New Port
Richey....

On June 19, 1928, however, the Avery Public Library Bond issue was
defeated. The bond issue which had passed at a previous election by one
vote, which to the city officials did not constitute the total will of
the people, was defeated. One prominent citizen, who had worked for the
passage of the bond issue said, "This election was hardly
representative, many of the large property owners being absent on
vacations in the north. Had they been here, there would have been a
different tale to tell. The vote would have carried. Undoubtedly, it
will be put to a vote again this fall."

To the great surprise of the Library Board of Trustees, Dr. Avery
tendered his resignation from the Board in January, 1929. In a letter to
the Council he expressed discouragement over the Council’s failure
to grant the library an increase for the coming year. The Council on the
other hand, stated that at the request of citizens, it felt that it
could not grant the increase requested. It was a time when emotions
seemed to take over. Dr. Avery was now about eighty-five years of age,
but the Library Board felt that as founder, he would also remain its
benefactor and that his will would remain unchanged. Consequently the
Board refused to accept Dr. Avery’s resignation and voted to make
him an honorary member for life, permitting him to be active or inactive
as he saw fit, all the councilmen feeling that he had done so much for
the library that he should thus be recognized.

In 1931, the Avery Public Library closed. In 1931 the First State Bank
failed, and Council was unable to pay the money appropriated to the
library as it did not have the funds. Dr. Avery in the September 11th
issue of the Press requested that users and friends of the public
library try to pay a certain amount each month to keep the library open.
He asked Miss Alta Field of New Port Richey to be custodian of the
contributions and he as founder of the library offered to administer
such fund to the best of his ability. When the city resumed its support
of the library he would transfer any unexpended moneys in this
Contributor’s Fund to the treasurer of the Library Board. This
calamity to the library continued for some time and Librarian Holway
reported that Dr. Avery’s appeal had brought some response, but
not nearly enough. The Library was kept open (somehow) each Tuesday and
Friday and the librarian was found always on the job. Little by little
the library received more assistance, but not enough to pay the
librarian. Nevertheless, Dr. Holway continued to keep the library open
and church organizations and local lodges responded with financial help,
for the sake of the students of the high school who depended on the
public library.

In the many years which have passed since Dr.
Avery presented his initial gift of one thousand books
the Avery Library and Historical Society, some have
worn out from years of use, about four hundred have
been locked away for preservation, but many seem to
have disappeared. A recent inventory brought to light
the first book to be accessioned, No. 1. It was, of
course. Dr. Avery’s personal copy of a Scofield
Bible. Dr. Holway tells of Dr. Avery visiting the library frequently
and bringing from time to time some
notable addition to the collection. One day he brought
a copy of a book with the description on the cover "The Secret Log Boke
of Christopher Columbus, noted
and written by himself in the years 1492-1493 - Discovery of America -
Fished up on the 14th day of
August 1890 and imitated after the original Log
Book. . ." The book is printed on parchment and is,
of course, one of the special collection.

At a District Meeting of the Florida Library Association which
the Library Staff attended in St. Petersburg, in 1929, Dr. Louis Holway
wrote of the special display of Dr. Avery’s books which were placed on
exhibit at the Suwannee Hotel, where the meeting was
held. In the same year Mrs. Warren E. Burns donated
a set of twenty volumes of the "Fundamentals of
Musical Art" to be placed at the sole disposal of the
Musical Club, of which she was a member. These
volumes could be looked at in the Reading Room only.
Today, some still exist but may be borrowed by the
public.

The Library was having the same difficulties in
those early years, which still plague all libraries today, especially
the return of overdue books. Thus
from time to time the Library Board had to amend
the Rules and Regulations governing library procedure
as the population grew. When it was a City Library
only, persons living within the County and within a
radius of ten miles paid an annual fee of two dollars.
Tourists could use the library by paying a two dollar
deposit or if they wished only one book, could pay the
cost of the book at the time of rental with the money
to be returned when the book was brought back. Children attending the
local schools, from neighboring
cities, paid fifty cents a year. Even then, Dr. Holway
noted the growing carelessness about the prompt return of books when
due.

Very concise records have been kept through the
years, relating mostly to book purchases and cost of
operating the library. It is amazing how much was
done with so little and the answer can lie only in those
dedicated people who had the library at heart. In an
entry for May 19, 1946, the secretary of the Library
Board, Mrs. E. J. Belcher, reports a request for a
two month leave of absence with full pay, which was
granted to the librarian. In his absence, Mrs. Marion
Heckroth, a Board member, was appointed as substitute librarian at a
salary of five dollars a week.
In the Annual Report for the same year, it was discovered that due to
the resignation of Board members
from time to time and new members elected to fill
the unexpired term of office of retiring officers, that
the terms of all members had run out. It was necessary to ask Council
to approve the re-election of all
the members! The names sent to Council at that time
were Miss Maud Thompson, for 1 year; Mrs. Belcher,
2 years; Rev. F. H. Andrus, 3 years; Mrs. Heckroth,
4 years; and Mr. Fenton, 5 years.

There was little money in those years to support
a library. The town was small and the annual report
for that year showed that twenty-seven books had
been purchased at a cost to the city of forty-five dollars and
eighty-seven cents. It was the donations
that gave the library so much help in those days.
Books came from the Cincinnati Public Library, from
the Finnish community and from local friends and
patrons. The gifts in that year totaled over nine hundred books, all of
which were lacquered to preserve
them. The Public Libraries had always rebound
books before they went on the library shelves, even
when just from the publisher. This added years to the
book, but with the advent of library binding by publishers, which did
not exist then, libraries no longer
follow this course. Also in that year one hundred and
forty patron names were added to the list of borrowers and for the
first time the library had a Children’s Corner!

Dr. Holway was succeeded by Laura Powell as
librarian. At that time the library was in the Municipal Building at
113 E. Main Street and was to remain
there until 1963, when it moved to its present site.
Miss Powell came to New Port Richey, also from
Cleveland, Ohio, the home of Dr. Avery. Like him,
her life had been spent there as an educator and
teacher of wayward girls. Not only did she understand the Dewey Decimal
system of classification, but
she understood people, and in the seven years as librarian, she was a
strong guiding hand in the growth
of the library. Although a plaque was to be made to
honor Dr. Holway’s twenty-five years as librarian,
Miss Powell also felt that a system of placing books
as Memorials to the memory of the deceased, by
relatives and friends should be adopted. Not only
would it help to bring in good books which the library
sadly needed but could not afford, but it would also
serve as a tribute to those who had died. The Memorial idea was very
successful, many feeling that it was
a much more permanent form of remembrance than
flowers.

In the first months as Librarian, Miss Powell
also served as secretary, pro tempore, as the minutes of several Board
meetings of that time show.
During her tenure as librarian, she saw many changes
in the reading habits of the community, one media of
which left a strong impact. This was the coming of
television. Writing her weekly article to the Press,
in one of them in 1954, she remarked, "I have been
thinking much recently about the impact of television
on the reading habits of young and not-so-young
America. From time to time, one hears ominous details about the inroads
this new media is making upon
readers of all ages. Librarians can be and are among the best judges of
this situation, due to their
daily contacts with books and the public." But she
continued to express some doubt as to whether or not
the media would be helpful or harmful, as it seems
that some librarians felt that "far from creating a
nation of blurry-eyed morons, television has given
viewers a glimpse of some subject, whereby whetting
the appetite and sending them off to the library to
pursue their interests further."

As librarian, Miss Powell worked alone much
of the time as had Dr. Holway. In 1950, the library
was open twenty-two hours a week, being closed all
day Thursday. These were twenty-two very busy
hours and Miss Powell asked a member of the Board
to assist her. This member, Barbara Clark, helped
from time to time as a part time assistant, but who
in this way gained from Miss Powell a very basic
working knowledge of library procedure and of the
system being used then, the Dewey Decimal system.
Mrs. Clark was to become librarian at a later date.
Miss Powell was an innovator and under her guidance
the library adopted many new methods, but ill health
forced her retirement in 1954. In Ellene Kroll’s term
of librarianship from 1954-1959, the Smokey Bear
Summer Reading Program, sponsored by the State
Forestry Service, was begun. In the limited space at
113 E. Main Street, the Children’s Corner must have
been quite a hubbub on the days which the children
met, but under the supervision of Assistant Barbara
Clark, who had been an elementary school teacher,
children spent many pleasant hours. A large fan had
been purchased and, it is to be noted, that at no time
is there any complaint registered over any undue
heat in the building.

Miss Powell’s "Library Notes" appeared weekly in
the Press and in one article for November 25, 1949,
she wrote, "Another milestone was passed this week
in library service to the community. The school and
settlement library opened in the Booker T. Washington School on Monday,
for the colored people of that area. The books are largely duplicate copies taken
from the shelves of the Avery Library. There are
around two hundred volumes which include fiction,
history, reference material and a good selection of
classics in American literature... The Library Board
feels that this project is one of its most worthy
achievements..." Another column for June 6, 1952,
begins: " Are there any citizens in this locality who
have been familiar with the organization called
"Friends of the Library," who they are, what do they
do?" She spoke of the organization in Clearwater as
a wide-awake group, making possible many of the
modern features necessary for the people to enjoy.

From 1930 to 1956, the library did not bind annual
copies of the New Port Richey Press. However, much
scrap book material has been kept by the librarians,
Dr. Holway, Miss Powell and Mrs. Kroll. From 1956
on, the New Port Richey Press has been bound annually and today all New
Port Richey newspapers are being bound.

Ellene Kroll, who took over after Miss Powell’s
retirement in 1954, found a library room bulging at
the seams with books and magazine material. She,
too, kept the weekly library news to the local paper
very much alive with her column, "The Library and
You." She also inspired the idea of a "Friends of the
Library," in 1955 and in 1956, although the group did
not organize until 1963, under the direction of Barbara
Clark. Richard Williams became its first President
and for some years it was a very active organization.
It is at present inactive for lack of working officers.

There is, however, one article which unfortunately
is not dated but which appeared among her columns
in the scrap book around November 1955, which showed a picture of the
crowded library, with the librarian and a library member, Mrs. Louis
Thys. The heading is "Council covets library space but cramped
facility itself needs more room, money." It quoted
the library as then having 18,000 volumes, with reference books
stacked on shelving ten and twelve feet
high; that Council was eyeing the area as a solution
to the need for additional space for the City Hall
staff. It mentioned the four locations which had housed the library
since its founding: the Snell Building;
the Morey-Bowman Building on the Boulevard, in
1924. Then in July, 1927, it moved to three rooms
in the Post Office Arcade Building and in 1938, moved
to the Municipal Building at 113 East Main Street.
The sixty-four dollar question was the financing of a
new building with the city under pressure of financing a new sewer
disposal plant, extending and enlarging the water works and paving
streets and so could "ill afford an appropriation of thirty or forty
thousand dollars for a new library building and maintain the present
"pay as you go" policy.

In 1959, Mrs. Kroll’s association with the library
was sadly terminated with illness and death and
Barbara Clark was asked by the Library Board to
take over the position. No one was better equipped
to do so. Mrs. Clark had profited greatly by her
association with the two previous librarians, serving
under Miss Powell since 1950. She knew the need
for library expansion better than anyone else.

The library continued to grow and in 1962, Estelle
F. Garner became Mrs. Clark’s assistant. Despite
the cramped space, children’s books were borrowed
on long term loan from the State Library. The
Smokey Bear Summer Reading Club was well organized and just about all
the children in the community
attended. The highlight of these summer programs
was a trip to Busch Gardens with buses being furnished by the School
Board.

Mrs. Clark also worked with the City on the need
for a new library building. In the New Port Richey
Press for May 16, 1963, there appeared an architectural drawing
headed.. "Another sign of Progress"
... showing how the New Port Richey Public Library
would appear when built at the site chosen, namely
302 East Main Street. The new building would occupy
approximately 4,490 square feet of space. The caption quoted the
number of volumes then in the city
hall building at about 20,000.

On May 23rd, 1963, ground-breaking ceremonies
for the new Public Library were held. Participating
were Mayor C. E. Kohler, Councilmen Frank Smith,
Hugo Kovisto and Robert Gwynn; also Barbara Clark,
librarian, and Dr. Robert Hartzell, President of the
Library Board. The building was constructed by
The Driggers Construction Company of Tampa and
completed in November 1963. No time was lost in
moving into the new building. There is the story of
that move. Mrs. Clark and her assistant, Mrs.
Garner, filled boxes of books in the precise order of
shelving and marked them for the movers to follow
implicitly. They did not count on the shelving not
arriving on time and the need for haste by the city
employees who moved the books. The result was
chaos!! It all ended with the old shelving being literally torn from
the walls with long nails still protruding. They were set up in the
greatest disorder and
long boards were placed on wooden horses to support
many of the books. Little scraps of red cloth were
tied on the nails left in the shelving, books were
crammed on the shelves and the library opened in
two days for business.

The job of complete reorganization, of course,
had just begun and shortly after opening, Virginia
Reuss, a library cataloger, began the stupendous job
of creating a new catalog. It was a tremendous task
for Librarian Clark, but 1964 statistics show a decided increase in
circulation.

The area around New Port Richey was beginning
to develop. The County was growing in population
and what had once been large wooded areas were beginning to give way to
housing projects which grew
into large subdivisions. From 1963 on, the County
growth began to show in the registration of library
borrowers from neighboring communities. As this
growth began to exceed the number of city patrons
using the library, the Board began to feel the necessity of asking the
County Commission to assist in the
financial support of the library. Until the new building was
constructed, the library had been a city
supported enterprise. The city had furnished the
land, the building and all the equipment, including
desk, shelving, tables, chairs, etc. The name had
been changed from the Avery Public Library to the
New Port Richey Public Library. It was no longer
a city library but a community library. The City of
New Port Richey could not carry the entire burden.
Since that time the County has assisted in its support.

In May, 1965, Librarian Barbara Clark retired
from the position after fifteen very active years of
library growth. The Library Board appointed Janet
Lewis, who had been associated with the Cleveland
Public Library for many years before coming to Florida. Mrs. Lewis took
over at a time when the growth
of the community was to be felt in the library system
as never before. Mrs. Clark had felt the need for a
new mechanized system of book distribution, to promote greater accuracy
and efficiency. The old, easy
method was too slow. The library was open forty
busy hours a week and so in 1965, the Library Board
decided to change to the Gaylord system of charging
which is still in use today. This system has served
the library very well and with the Rolodex system of
checking all borrowers, the library can keep a constant watch on fine
accumulations and overdue books.

Since 1965, the growth in the system has been
unprecedented. In 1966, a Periodicals Room and
Auditorium to seat seventy-five people, was added to
the main building. Sponsored by the Library Board,
Mrs. Lewis began a series of afternoon programs
for the public. These consisted of Book Reviews,
illustrated lectures and many other special types of
programs. Puppet shows were included in the Summer Reading Programs for
the children, and the auditorium has proven to be a wonderful asset for
many children's programs, when school is not in session.
The success of these programs has, however, shown
that the auditorium is becoming too small to accommodate the people who
attend.

In order to serve the public better it was imperative that the
library extend the hours which it was
open. A revamping was necessary, eliminating the
closing each day from 5:00 7:00 which was found to
interrupt service to the public, especially students.
Since 1969, the library has been open fifty-nine hours
a week. Much more shelving was needed as it expanded. The registration
of patrons is now on an
average of two hundred and fifty borrowers a month
The annual circulation has reached over 180,000 and
keeps soaring. With the present system of renewing
the borrowers' cards every three years, the library
can keep an accurate count on the number of city and
county patrons registered and using the library today
The library subscribes to about fifty magazines, with
gift subscriptions from patrons of about the same
number. It carries all the local newspapers and the
Wall Street Journal, a gift of many years standing
from the First National Bank. The desk area, supervised by Muriel Kelly,
has recently been expanded and
with so much added shelving, the library is beginning to take on
something of the appearance of the old
building at 113 East Main Street, crowded. In a
special area set aside as the Mrs. Warren E. Burns
Memorial Room are the Large Print books, the
Floridiana and the Memorial books. The Large Print
books, a project first begun with a gift from the New
Port Richey Lions Club, which is continued with an
annual donation by the Club, presented each year
during National Library Week. It is also supported by
many very generous memorials evidenced by a wall
plaque with the names of persons and groups who have
donated one hundred dollars or more to the project.

The Memorials area continues to grow also and
with this money some of the finest books in the library have been
purchased. The auditorium now
contains wall shelving to accommodate the many gift
replacements and new additions to the book collection
waiting for processing when needed by the library.
The library is staffed with two full time workers, the
librarian and the desk supervisor. Other members
of the staff are Betty Wolford, assistant cataloger,
Ann Hildebrand, assistant, Estelle Garner and Jean
Englemen.

The six year period from 1968 to 1974 has been
one of tremendous growth on Florida’s West Coast.
Thanks to the efforts of a group of dedicated individuals, the New Port
Richey Library has kept pace.
Plans for the future include the possibility of converting the
auditorium into a working area which will
probably house the Reference Department. Today,
at the library, the spirit of Dr. Avery remains very
much alive.

Library Associates

By JANET LEWIS

Shortly after the Avery Library and Historical
Society had been established, an organization was
formed which was to play a large part in developing
and creating a cultural atmosphere in New Port
Richey, as well as forming a very practical and
necessary need for the survival of the library. Mrs.
Cornelia Conover, the librarian, soon realized that
there was an enormous amount of work to be done,
besides the actual routine work of the librarian. She
invited ten ladies to her home (December, 1919) to
talk over what was to be the beginning of the Library
Associates, an organization whose objects were to
serve the library in any and every capacity, from
janitor service to care of the books, and to earn money for the library
treasury.

At the second meeting of the group, Mrs. Conover
consented to act as President and Mrs. Elroy Avery
was appointed Secretary. It was also decided that an
entertainment should be held each month for the
benefit of raising funds. The Library Associates
consisted then of fourteen members (all women), and
the entertainments met with varying degrees of success, but in 1921,
due to added pressures of work in
the library, Mrs. Conover resigned as President and
was succeeded by Mrs. F. Salisbury.

During that first winter of 1920-21, the Library
Associates were able to make a gift of one hundred
ninety-eight dollars and forty-five cents to the Library treasury. The
second year showed a larger
membership in the Associates and it was decided to
nominate officers. The committee presented a slate
as follows: Mrs. F. Salisbury, President; Mrs.
Preetorius, Vice President; Mrs. Conover, Second
Vice President; Mrs. Avery, Secretary; and Mrs.
Sass, Treasurer. These officers were elected for a
three year term and all held office for that length of
time, with the exception of Mrs. Sass whose office
was filled by Mrs. Schoolcraft.

In the second year of its existence, under Mrs.
Salisbury, the Library Associates considered several
ways of making money for the library and many plans
were discussed, until it was finally decided to give
"One Grand Carnival"! Tentative plans were carefully drawn up,
discussed by the officers and advice
was asked on this project, from men whose judgment
and opinion were valued. With much encouragement,
the Executive Board had faith to believe that this
great undertaking could be successfully carried out.
A special meeting of the Library Associates was called and a number of
men who had promised assistance were also invited. With such added
encouragement, the Associates voted that the tentative plans be
adopted and carried out. The name chosen for this
great carnival was the Chasco Fiesta. The name was
proposed by Mrs. Preetorius, who said that the name
of the river Pithlachascotee suggested it to her.
Pithlachascotee furnished the names of the hero and
heroine of an Indian legend, written by Gerben
DeVries, in which the hero was Prince Pithla and the
heroine Princess Chasco. The story was printed in
booklet form and sold for ten cents per copy.

For weeks the Chasco Fiesta was the topic of the
whole populace. Men, women and children worked
for it and in it and the great three day Fiesta of
March 2, 3, and 4, 1922, was staged. One of the big
features of this carnival was the Moonlight Cabaret,
staged under the personal direction of Mrs. Howard
Ashton, a visitor (tourist). The Fiesta netted the
good will of the entire community and more than
three hundred dollars for the Library Associates
treasury ($364.31). The entire proceeds for the
season of 1921-22, over four hundred dollars, were
presented to the Library Board of Trustees.

In its fourth year, Mrs. Wilcox was elected
President of the Library Associates and it continued
to assist the library financially and in many other
ways. Mrs. Randall succeeded Mrs. Wilcox as
President in its fifth year and it is of interest to note
that the total proceeds furnished by the Library
Associates to the library in its first five years of
activity, amounted to a grand total of $1,180.68!!!